The physiotherapy and the botulinum toxin type a to improve the gait in cerebral palsy

Fourteen 14 spastic hemiparetic patients with dynamic equine foot, ranging from 3 to 9 years old were studied. The patients were distributed in 2 groups: Group I - 7 children receiving botulinum. toxin type A (BTX-A) injections into the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles and physiotherapeutic treatment. Group II - 7 children receiving physiotherapeutic treatment only. The data analyzed were: ankle range of motion, muscle tone, tibialis anterior muscle activity, velocity, cadence and gait observational analysis and parents' degree of satisfaction. The statistical analysis showed that, in Group I, all data were improved in a short time. In Group II, improvement was not observed in the same period of time, but there were some improvements in some target aspects in a longer period of time.